Works will soon begin on the US$10 million upgrade of the Joe Vieira Park on West Bank Demerara (WBD), which is being funded by the Chinese Government to mark the 50 years of diplomatic relations between Guyana and China.
This was revealed by Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan, during an interview on the sidelines of the unveiling of another Chinese/Guyana project, a $15 million Guyana/Chinese Friendship Pavilion at Lamaha Street, Georgetown on Wednesday.
“(Workers) have already arrived from the designer company. Some technicians from the contractor. They are busy with the preparation work. I know because the park is closed, we’ve done some (coordination) to make sure the project will go smoothly. Now they are constructing the building for the workers… there’s already progress. We’re planning to have a sod turning ceremony soon.”
Last year, Minister within the Public Works Ministry, Deodat Indar had said that the iconic Joe Vieira Park will take about 20 months to be upgraded. T
Indar had related that the park would be rebuilt into something “very, very attractive” not only for the region but for the entire country.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Guo had said at the time that the park would be renamed the Guyana-China Friendship Joe Vieira Park. She had said that the park would be built with the aim of providing a public place for families and would host recreational activities as well as cultural events.
The Joe Vieira Park located at Schoonord, WBD, has been in an abandoned state for years. It was donated to the regional government by businessman Joe Vieira and falls under the National Parks Commission. The green space was designated a park on March 24, 1982.
